It's good to hear it's over, it's been a tragic shoot, but everyone came around for Terry, and the cavalry came in the form of Johnny, Jude and Colin, who helped salvage the film from the same fate The Man Who Killed Don Quixote sadly met. Lets hope there's no problems in post-production.

Funny, I was coming on here to ask just this very questoin, i.e. has the shoot wrapped yet?

I'm really thrilled and can't wait to see what Terry has managed to produce this time out. All of those performances following the tragedy, which now make up this film should make it something of a treat.

They did it for HeathAs the Ledger film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus wrapped production in Vancouver this week, its creators stopped to reflect on the star's death and the terrible and beautiful impact it's had the cast and crew, Marsha Lederman writesMARSHA LEDERMAN

April 19, 2008

VANCOUVER -- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus became inextricably linked to tragedy when its star, Heath Ledger, accidentally overdosed on prescription drugs in January, halfway through production.

But for the film's creators, there is a flip side. They say making the film has been an extraordinary experience: a testament to the strength, determination and imagination of its director Terry Gilliam, and an example of the magic that can happen when people pull together to create something even under the most difficult of circumstances.

"With all that's gone on and what we're achieving and making, it seems very, very special to many people," Amy Gilliam, one of the film's producers and Terry's daughter, told The Globe and Mail this week. "When you actually see the finished product, there's going to be so much love and care and passion oozing out of it."

The film, co-produced by Canada's Infinity Features, wrapped production in Vancouver on Tuesday, and is now heading back to London for a four-week special-effects shoot with miniatures and post-production that is expected to take the rest of the year. A 2009 release is expected.

The film stars Christopher Plummer as the immortal Doctor Parnassus, leader of a theatre troupe that travels with an Imaginarium - a magical mirror that allows audiences (both in the film and in the theatre) to be transported into another, fantastical, world. But there is disaster looming: Parnassus has made a deal with the devil (Tom Waits) and the time is approaching when the good doctor has to live up to his end of the bargain and hand over his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole). Ledger plays Tony, a mysterious outsider who joins the theatre troupe and becomes Valentina's love interest.

The 28-year-old actor died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in New York on Jan. 22, the week after production wrapped in London and the week before preproduction was to begin in the Vancouver area (at Burnaby's Bridge Studios). The death halted production and speculation ran rampant about whether the film would be completed. But for the filmmakers, there was never any question that the project would go forward.

"There was no way we were ever going to give up," Amy Gilliam said at the Infinity-owned Cinema 319 in Vancouver. "Everyone wanted to keep going.

"Everyone believed in it, everyone was passionate for it. Everyone just thought it was an incredible thing that no one could let go of. ... At no point were we going to say it's over."

Added William Vince, head of Infinity Features and another one of the film's producers: "Everybody wanted the movie to get made for Heath, there's no question - the actors and the director."

After Ledger's death, the producers formed a sort of protective shield around their director as he grieved the loss of a close friend, and was charged with devising a plan to save his movie.

"Amy and I were managing the people around him so he had room to do what he needed to do. And we kept everybody glued together, so when he did announce what he wanted to do, we were poised to do it," Vince says.

"I don't think he took it lightly - from the emotional side, to the creative side to his personal side, there [were] a lot of factors that were swirling around. And it's a great testament to him and to the film, because if he didn't believe in it, he wouldn't do it," he adds.

At that point in production, all of the "real world" scenes had been shot but none of the scenes inside the Imaginarium.

The director's plan was to replace Ledger with several actors for the fantasy scenes and have Ledger's character take on different physical forms on the other side of the mirror. Gilliam managed to attract three of the biggest names in the business: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, all of whom came on board on short notice.

"With the cast that came, it was out of pure passion and dedication and love for the movie, for the director, for our actor," says Amy Gilliam.

"The actors did it for Terry and did it for Heath," Vince adds.

There's no question Ledger's death has heightened interest in the film. And Vince believes the changes that became necessary may have actually made it a better film in some ways.

"It challenged everybody a lot harder and I think it made you dig down deeper to make things work and make things better," he says.

But that's not to say there haven't been tremendous challenges - personally and creatively - along the way. And from a business standpoint, there's certainly been an impact.

The budget, originally set at $30-million, had to be increased. While no new figures are yet available, the bulk of the additional expenses will come from delays in production, and the nine extra shooting days that were added to the Vancouver leg of production.

The producers credit the flexibility of the partners, and the Canada-Britain co-production structure for allowing them to get the film back into production under the challenging circumstances.

"The UK Film Council was very supportive, Telefilm was very supportive. ... Everybody wanted that movie to happen, from actors to directors to crew to insurance companies. Everybody jumped on [and said] we've got to make this happen," says Vince, adding he believes co-productions are key to developing Canada's film industry.

This is certainly not the first time Terry Gilliam has faced adversity on-set. There were huge budget overruns on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (a box-office disaster), and a studio-forced happy ending to Brazil.

Most notorious was his experience with The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. On set, things quickly fell apart as the lead actor became seriously ill and a flash flood destroyed the set in the first few days of production. The movie never got made. The whole, sad tale is detailed in the documentary Lost in La Mancha.

So when Ledger died in the middle of shooting a Gilliam film and when, later, during the Vancouver leg of production, actor Verne Troyer was rushed to hospital with an undisclosed illness (he was released soon after), the news media started muttering about the so-called Gilliam curse.

"We all know the story of Lost in La Mancha," Amy Gilliam says. "We all smile about this. It's amazing. It's like someone up there is trying to hit us and knock us down, but we have such a strong group and it's like no force is going to reckon with us and we're going to keep fighting."

What she emphasizes again and again is that the set was a vibrant place. The producers say that spirit came from the top: Terry Gilliam, though grieving a personal loss, set the tone with his energy, his exuberance, his passion and his sense of humour.

Vince, while careful to stress that there is still a long way to go before the film is completed, says he has high hopes for Parnassus - and its director. "To me it has the potential to be a really big hit. It doesn't mean it's going to make money like a silly comedy or something like that, but I think [in terms of] legacy and awards. ... I think that we're totally poised for Terry and I think Terry's due.

"I just think he has the movie to really shine on this one."

Inspiration at the Vancouver Aquarium

Terry Gilliam, a director who can find inspiration anywhere, had a Parnassus-related epiphany during a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium a year ago.

In town to meet with Infinity and get the ball rolling on the film, Gilliam paid a visit to the Stanley Park family hot spot, home to beluga whales, sea otters and - most captivating for Gilliam - jellyfish.

Gilliam was taken by the illuminated invertebrates and immediately concocted plans to use them in the film.

"He came back to the office ... and he was like 'Oh my God it's fantastic!'" says Amy Gilliam, Terry's daughter, a producer with Infinity.

The director took a raft of reference photos and worked on incorporating the creatures into his film. The jellyfish will ultimately make it to the big screen in the Gilliam-created fantasy world, on the other side of the Imaginarium mirror.

"It's amazing," says his daughter. "His mind is always working. And wherever he goes, whatever he sees, he's always finding things to use or enhance or make a story."

It looks like it is going to be a wonderful film.Because of the fact that it is a gilliam-McKeown screenplay,because of the amazing casting and of course because of the tragic circumstances surrounding the shooting.I think it's going to be Gilliam's best film since Munchausen and I hope the fucking critics will shut their mouth this time.2009 seems to be so distant right now!